Another report from Spain

Buildings near the entrance of Park Güell (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

The central “square” at Park Güell (Wikimedia Commons public domain)

Our group started the morning off with a stroll through Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell, and then attended sacrament meeting at a downtown Barcelona ward.

The Sagrada Familia, with its ever-present cranes digitally removed(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Then we spent some time walking around Gaudí’s utterly unique Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, which is most commonly known, simply, as the “Sagrada Familia” or “Holy Family.”

The west façade of Sagrada Familia(Wikimedia Commons public domain)

It’s been under construction since 1882, but there’s now a major effort underway to finish it according to Gaudí’s design by 2026, which will mark the centenary of his tragic death.

We shall see. There are still several towers to be completed, including a massive central tower that is intended to be roughly twice the height of the basilica’s already-existing towers.

MS Brilliance of the Seas (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

After a short drive around downtown Barcelona, where we looked at some additional works by Gaudí and a few other related architects, we boarded the MS Brilliance of the Seas. I spoke at a devotional for our group and then we ate. Really, really well.